It was only a matter of time before Ping, Apple’s failed iTunes music discovery tool, was sent to its grave. Following the released of iTunes 10.7 earlier today, Apple has revealed that Ping will be officially discontinued on September 30th.
This really shouldn’t come as a surprise. Ping has gained little to no traction since its release back in 2010. Apple’s webpage for Ping has also disappeared, indicating that the Cupertino company is ready to move on.
Back in June, AllThingsD reported that Apple was looking to kill off Ping with the new release of iTunes this fall. The next major iteration of iTunes Apple unveiled today will be released in October.
Ping was intended to be a vibrant social network for sharing and discovering new music with friends and artists. The lack of Facebook integration and poor execution kept Ping from gaining a committed user base.
Word on the street is that Apple is looking to launch a Pandora-like radio service, which will probably have some social elements for music discovery.
Apple CEO Tim Cook foreshadowed Ping’s demise in an interview earlier this year. “We tried Ping, and I think the customer voted,” said Cook. He noted that Ping wasn’t something he wanted to “put a lot of energy into.”
Via: 9to5Mac